THE mother of murdered schoolgirl Sarah Payne is fighting for her life after being rushed to hospital with brain surgery complications.

Sara Payne, 40, from Hersham, underwent an operation last year on a ruptured aneurysm, but she fell ill on Wednesday and is now in a “life-threatening condition” at St George’s Hospital in London.

Her eight-year-old daughter, who was a pupil at Bell Farm Junior School in Hersham, was sexually assaulted and killed by Roy Whiting in West Sussex in 2000.

Since Sarah's death, Ms Payne has dedicated her time to campaigning for greater protection for children from paedophiles.

She was awarded an MBE in the New Year’s Honours List and then appointed as a consultant to the Ministry of Justice.

Friend Michele Elliott, founder and director of campaign group Kidscape, said: “Sara is the most wonderful and indomitable person and if anyone can get through this, it's her.

“Everyone needs to pray and send their good thoughts at this difficult time. I have been in tears.”

Her daughters Charlotte, 15, and Ellie, five, are being looked after by relatives over Christmas. Her sons, Lee and Luke, are 22 and 21.

Ms Payne, who launched a high-profile campaign for a so-called Sarah's Law - giving parents the right to know if paedophiles live near them - separated from her husband Michael after their daughter’s murder.